University of Hawai’i at Manoa, United States

My name is Alessia Zuzza, and I am studying a Bachelor of Biotechnology/Bachelor of Business at UTS. I have decided to go on global exchange for the Spring Semester of my third year and am currently living in Honolulu and attending the University of Hawai’i at Manoa!

Hawai’i is an amazing place with so much to do, including beaches, hiking, surfing and more! I’m really enjoying eating local food like poke and learning to surf at Waikiki! The UH Manoa campus is huge and so different to the UTS city campus. It is so green and there are many outdoor spaces which can be used year-round due to the consistent tropical climate. There is an enormous gym with lots of equipment as well as volleyball/basketball courts, a big library, an NFL field and a sports centre where the volleyball teams play. One of my favourite things to do is watch the sports games, especially the volleyball! School pride is so big here and it feels like you’re in a movie!

The week before classes started, the MIX (Manoa International Exchange) program set up orientation sessions, which was where I met my closest friends here. We were told about where to shop for groceries, places to try local and Hawaiian food, and how to adjust to cultural differences like tipping which was so helpful. During this time we also picked up our student ID cards which we can use as a free bus pass to get around the island.

I am studying four direct equivalent subjects here: Ecology, Cell and Molecular Biology, Intermediate Microeconomics, and Intermediate Macroeconomics. I unfortunately did not have any free or restricted electives to use and so was unable to take any interesting or different classes than usual. However many of my exchange friends are taking Hawaiian Studies and find it really interesting, so I would recommend taking that if you can!

The teaching style here is very different to UTS. Rather than big hand-in assignments like at UTS, I have weekly homework and quizzes to complete, as well as midterms. This was a little hard to adjust to at first, but if you stay on top of everything then it is pretty easy to get everything done and still have time to explore and relax. I have classes Monday to Friday, however most days I finish by 12pm and can get homework done and go to the beach, surfing or hiking in the afternoon.

I am living in off-campus student housing called Hale Mahana, about a 10-minute walk from campus. It is extremely expensive in Hawai’i, especially Honolulu, and the current exchange rate makes it even worse. On-campus housing was slightly cheaper than Hale Mahana, however I was not accepted until about 3 weeks before I left Sydney! I had already signed a lease by then so was not able to accept it. If you’re coming to Hawai’i do some research on housing early as it is in high demand and I found it really difficult to find a place.

One of the biggest tips I would say is to make sure you have savings coming here, as it is so expensive even before you consider the (currently) terrible exchange rate. Housing and food are big expenses so make sure you can accommodate for that. However it is definitely worth spending for some experiences. I recently went snorkelling with sharks up on the north shore which was incredible, and have been lucky enough to go on a weekend camping trip to Kaua’i which was one of the best experiences ever. The inter-island flights are not too expensive which makes it pretty easy to do trips on long weekends and holidays!
Overall, I am really enjoying my time in Hawai’i. I would definitely recommend going on global exchange in general and here to the University of Hawai’i!

Alessia Zuzza
Bachelor of Biotechnology and Bachelor of Business
University of Hawai’i at Manoa
United States

For more information about the UTS Global Exchange program please visit: www.uts.edu.au/thinkglobal